The misuse of benzodiazepines - a class of pharmaceutical drugs that include valium, xanax and klonopin - and new illegal designer drugs are major public health concerns outlined in a new EU Drug agency report.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction or EMCDDA says there is increasing unregulated use of established benzodiazepines, and a supply of new and fake versions created by criminals.
Benzodiazepines are usually prescribed for treating anxiety but have been linked to poisonings and deaths from unauthorised use.
The European Drug Report 2021 outlines how there is a wider range of illegal and pharmaceutical substances, often of high potency or purity, and how organised crime groups have intensified illegal drug production.
Study examines link between health literacy and actionable memory for medication-taking
It is important for patients to understand the information they need for making health decisions, yet studies have shown that a large segment of the population lacks the health literacy to do so. Health literacy refers to capacity of people to obtain, process, and understand health information needed for making health decisions. A researcher in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is addressing this topic.
Many people have inadequate health literacy to support them in understanding health information and/or performing basic self-care activities. Successful self-care would lead to better health outcomes, especially for patients with chronic illness.
Credit: Destinys Agent
It is important for patients to understand the information they need for making health decisions, yet studies have shown that a large segment of the population lacks the health literacy to do so. Health literacy refers to capacity of people to obtain, process, and understand health information needed for making health decisions. A researcher in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is addressing this topic. Many people have inadequate health literacy to support them in understanding health information and/or performing basic self-care activities, said Assistant Professor Jessie Chin. Successful self-care would lead to better health outcomes, especially for patients with chronic illness.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and EUROPOL are warning authorities that the pandemic is having a massive impact on the drug scene in countries across the EU.
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned logistics and supply-chains around the world upside down. That also holds true for global smuggling routes. But how are drug dealers and drug addicts reacting to pandemic chaos? I went to Warsaw to investigate.
Warsaw s Praga district
The rundown Praga district in the Polish capital, Warsaw, is a hot spot for drug addicts. Discarded bottles, empty pill packets and used syringes can be found all around abandoned buildings.